The Birthday Party

Today was my brother's 60th Birthday, and all of us got together to help him celebrate the day. We had lots of good food, of course, and just spent the day playing games and talking and catching up on things. He and his family were not here for Christmas, so this seemed more like a Christmas gathering than a birthday party.

My Aunt and cousins were over too. Every Sunday after church, they take turns going over to each other's homes, and spend the day playing scrabble, or other games, so they took right up with the game playing right after they ate. I joined them for a round of Rumicubes, and I am hear to tell you that you had better know what you are doing before you set down with these women! They are good!

I wanted to get my brother a little something, but he is such a hard person to find the right thing for, and we were all told just to come over, and not bring anything. I remembered that I had been keeping an old letter sweater of his from high school. I had always liked it, and wore it on occasion, but for many years now, it has been folded up in a drawer. I pulled it out, folded it up and put it in a gift bag. Maybe he would like to have it now after all of these years.

I wasn't sure if he wanted anything like that from the past. He isn't one to keep a lot of memorabilia type things around, but since the high school has been closed since the 60's, and this was kind of a landmark birthday, he might be ready for a bit of nostalgia. He was just thrilled! I had forgotten that his children had never seen it, and they got a charge out of this geeky purple sweater with a big "C" on it that said "band." They got a visual of what he may have been like way back when.

I couldn't help but think all of the time that has passed since then has been in the blink of an eye. So much has happened in his life since then. I imagine he feels the same as he did back then in many ways. I know I don't feel much different from when I was in high school. Maybe a little wiser, and of course, things don't work as well with the body, but for the most part things don't change.

I see older people so much differently than I used to. I see them now as youthful people with older bodies. I realize now that it is our thoughts that really make us old, not the real age of a person.